November 8, 2011

November 8, 2011 -1

Dear Fam!

MAREN! Congratulations on being the star of the 8th grade play! How fun! It might be bad though because what if Mrs. Olson decides not to leave just so that she can stay and use you in plays? Scary thought. (kidding!...?)

Wow it sure is great to hear from you! Sorry my e-mail is a day late this week. It's transfers week and last Friday night we got a call saying one of us would be transferring. (It always works this way: we get a call on Friday night telling us whether or not we are receiving any sort of change, and if we are, then we receive the official assignment call on Saturday morning.)

We went to bed that night and I woke up at 4:30 and didn't fall back asleep. I remember lying in bed, wondering what the call that was coming in less than 2 hours would bring. As I thought that, I also clearly remember thinking that whatever it was, it would be something I would wish I were more prepared for. Then I remembered that missionary work, and the Lord's work in general, typically requires things of us that we wish we were more prepared for. (Apparently the Lord doesn't look at our resumes much?). It was a tender mercy that I was able to think that because:

President Albrecht called and here's what's happening: Sister Derricott is staying in Shibuya and training a new missionary. I'm transferring to an area called Utsunomia (which is apparently famous for a really good gyoza). It hasn't been opened back up since the earthquake, and I will be training there as well. I've since found out that it's the biggest geographical area in our mission and is on the very northern edge (pretty far from everyone else), and we are moving into the old elder's apartment, so it will be just us sisters and no elders . (I've been reassured that the ward had been cleaning up the apartment for us.) President said that the ward is really excited to have missionaries back.

I'm thrilled. Some missionaries really love teaching, others thrive on creating activities and using that as a means of proselyting, but streeting and finding were the first things I've learned to love about missionary work. I'm not sure how much I will like it in the winter, but we'll see. Also, I am SO excited to be in a more rural area. It's still within the Tokyo mission, which means it's got some city, but hopefully it will have some countryside too. I also am appreciating the fact that we will be the only set of missionaries there. I love the camaraderie that exists between missionaries that all serve an area together, but I'm looking forward to having things be a lot less structured, and just being able to get out and be on the street. Hopefully I can spend at least 3 or 4 transfers there.

As I type I am in an area called Hodogaya. Sister Derricott and I have been here staying with another sister who is also training, Sister Lynch, since last night because all 3 of us are waiting until our new companions to get here from the MTC.

Mom, you asked how church is different here (especially primary programs). There are less kids, and it is a little different in other small ways, but the reason I loved the primary program is because it's essentially the same: lots of squirmy kids trying really hard to sing loud for their parents, and doing a pretty good-job for the most part except that one of them who shouts instead of singing is drowning out all the rest of their cute voices. I can't tell you how church is actually different because I'm used to it now. What continually surprises me though is how much it is the same: Relief Society still always requires some sort of lacy or floral table cloth, and they still pass around clipboards with about 5 different sign-up sheets for various things. The biggest difference to me it that the buildings look different, but as far as how they do things it feels the same.

Also- that investigator who had all the stuff we threw away was really happy. He was there for all of it, and we did sort it into recycling piles the best we could. He had had a cat that had lived there a year ago and had soiled lots of things that were still just sitting there, so getting all that stuff out was good. We went back last week and continued, and as we were cleaning the bathroom the sink was taking a long time to drain. Well, I know how to fix that right? So I tried unscrewing the pipes below to pull out whatever was clogging it. I wasn't strong enough so I asked one of the Elders. He twisted it alright, and broke it off... that wasn't so good. So the drain is clean, but it's broken. I felt really bad about that. Anyway, I think the guy would have been happier about us continuing to de-junk, but after he saw the sink he wasn't smiling as much as he had been before. I'm praying he forgives me because now that I'm transferring I can't go back to make amends.

I was a lady-bug for Halloween because I already had a red sweater on that morning so I just taped on some pieces of black tape like dots and wired two pom-poms to a headband... most people didn't realize I had even dressed up. (I think I send a picture last week so check again and see if there's one with me in a red top.)

Well, I better go soon. Sorry I always say way way too much. You better know it's because I love you all!!!

-Sister Waite

PS- Good luck talking in church! Being a missionary has forever changed the way I view my membership in the church. Be sure to thank everyone profusely for their love and letters and support. I wish I had time to do it myself.

November 8, 2011-2

Mariah,
Please look back in your email you sent on October 10th and explain Karma to us.
Love,
Mom

Mom,

Sorry if that letter was confusing Mom. When I talk about karma, I'm just talking about the idea that if you do good things, good things will return to you, even if you can't possibly imagine how. Like if you help someone stranded on the road in Kansas even though you know you'll never see that person again, and you know you'll never be in Kansas again (at least not in that part), but you do it. And then ten years later there you are, stranded on the side of the road in Kansas, and someone helps you out....

Ha! That's a bazaar answer to your question. The truth is, 'karma' is the world's title for the gospel principle of treating others the way you would treat the Savior, even if that 'other' person is someone who just passed you on the sidewalk in Tokyo and blew smoke in your face from his cigarette. You KNOW you'll never see that guy again, right? And you know that how you treat him won't go down in some history book, or even in your own personal journal, but you still pick up the 1000 Yen note that just fell out of his back pocket and hand it to him because through the Lord's love and mercy (which the world calls karma), that act of charity will make its way back to you somewhere down the road. What goes around comes around, so if you want good things to start coming your way you need to start sending good things other people's ways.

I read about karma in a business book once, and the author swore by it. He said that during times when the economy was getting rough and businesses were starting to tighten their belts and maybe decrease the pay of their workers, he would remind himself that the best way to get good things is to give it. So even if he didn't have the means to increase his workers' salary, he would take them all out to lunch or something that would reassure them, rather than make them more stressed about their jobs, even though he himself didn't know what the future held. Then some way or another, perhaps because his workers were happier and more productive, or perhaps he would realize a new opportunity, but somehow, good things would inevitably return to him.

When I read that in that book, I was interested and thought it was a neat principle. But then I read Alma 41:14-15 and realized that it's not just some cool idea a business-guy works by, it's an eternal principle. All the love, and charity, and mercy, and good things that we "send out" in this life, THAT will be restored to us after we are resurrected and judged. God can't give back (or restore) to us things we never gave away in the first place. So if you want to have happiness given to you in the next life, give it out by the gallon in this life. In the world's vocabulary it's called things like 'being the better person', having a good attitude, and not judging others.

All this long jabbering is what I tried not to write in the last letter because I didn't want to bore you. Sorry now that I have! But that is something I have thought and thought about all last transfer. I wish I were capable of remembering it better in the moment. By the way, the story about the smoker who dropped his money, that was just an example I made up. (Wish it were real though huh!)

November 8, 2011-3

Fam-

One thing I wish I could tell ward-members everywhere:

My 2nd transfer in Japan, I was riding my bike one day down a street and thinking about all the people who lived in the houses I was passing, and thinking about how I wished I could offer them the gospel in a way that would help them accept it. I wondered what I could say or do that would really help them in a way that they truly needed it. Then I thought about how neat it would be if I could just live next to them for a long time and really become a friend of theirs and help them out and really let them see how living the gospel blesses my life... wouldn't that be neat? Well, then it hit me: That's what a member is! Full-time missionaries are kind of famous in the church - we get a lot of love and letters and support, and also a lot of food from nice people. But the real missionaries are the ward members. Missionary work can happen without full-time missionaries, but it can NEVER happen without ward members. Full-time missionaries mainly just get the spotlight for a while and help the rest of the missionaries (ward members) get really excited about sharing the gospel.

But what about a little town like Clifton, Idaho, where almost everyone is already a member? There isn't much missionary work to do there is there? Wrong. Every time I knock on a less-active member's door, I am wishing that instead of me it was their visiting or home teacher on their porch instead. Home and visiting teachers have so much more power than missionaries do because they don't change every 6 weeks. They have the time to actually be consistent and get to know someone and their needs over a long period of time. Even really strong ward members - we visit them too all the time just to see how they are and share a quick message to strengthen them. Does anyone not need that? It really is true: Missionary work is just doing home or visiting teaching to people who aren't members of the church yet. And home teaching is just doing missionary work to those who have already joined the church. My work is the same as everyone else’s' in the church - except that right now I get to be doing it in Japan.

Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching are SO important!